----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Kathryn, Sorry it took me a few days to reply to your thoughts, but other activities have kept me too busy until this weekend. In the couple of years I've been at PSU not much in the way of GIS or geographic data on CD-ROMs, outside of depository material such as the DOQs, has gone through the Cataloging Dept. In particular, I've only worked with a half-dozen titles, but one of my Map Team staff members has handled many more than this. So, I shared your message with Chris and we both felt that we had some similar circumstances that we could let you know how we've handled. First, we feel that handling the subject headings in their broadest contexts is about the best you can do for a GIS CD as you mentioned, using "Transportation", "Real property", "Geology", "Hydrology", and subheadings such as "Administrative and political divisions" is both justified and appropriate. Appropriate for the very reason you brought up, GIS data tends to come in quite a number of layers, too many to try to cover with what might be a dozen or more headings/subheadings. We too are using a similar subject heading pattern as you've suggested, both a 651 with subheadings to bring out the physical form, and the 650 "Digital mapping" with subdivision "Databases". In regards to being able to collocate GIS CDs through one search, both Chris and I feel your example useage of the 655 would be great, providing of course that in everyone's local context the 655 field and its subfields can become indexable/searchable. Thats one fight we're currently playing out here, and it may be awhile before we can get what we want (Chris is a bit more pessimistic about this than I am, but, that's me...). Since I've been working with Barbara Story, Mary Larsgaard, and Betsy Mangan on a Form/Genre Committee for the past couple of years I think I can say that the outcome of our work with both F/G terms and recommendations for the use of both the 655 field and the $v in the 6XX fields for use by the cartographic community is forthcoming and it should provide guidance to all of us. In the meantime, I believe you have a good handle on the problem at UW, but I'd like to hear other comments plus different ways of handling subject headings/subheadings for this type of material from others. Paige Andrew At 02:27 PM 9/2/97 -0400, you wrote: >----------------------------Original message---------------------------- >Hi all-- I'm working with an electronic formats cataloger in our >Cataloging Division to catalog some CD-ROMs of GIS data (for example, 8 >CDs of King County, Washington GIS data and 12 CDs of City of Seattle GIS >data). Currently, I catalog only paper maps in the Map >Collection...electronic format cataloging is done in our central >Cataloging Division. > >These CDs contain many thematic data layers of GIS data, we think too >many to do thematic subject headings (although we could probably do a few >general ones like transportation, administrative and political divisions, >hydrology, real property, etc.). Anyway, we are putting the following >subject headings on the record for King County. Is this generally what >other folks are doing? These CDs contain data only...no software. > >651 0 King County (Wash.) |x Maps |x Databases. >650 0 Digital mapping |x Databases. (Wouldn't it be nice if this could >be subdivided geographically?) > >We've also talked about responding to the request to find all "GIS data" >in the Libraries catalog. Maybe a 655 genre/form entry? Like this?: > >655 7 Geographic information systems data. $2 local > >Perhaps putting the "650 0 Digital mapping |x Databases" on every >record would suffice for finding all the records. > >Any comments or other ideas? Thanks, Kathryn > >Kathryn Womble e-mail: [log in to unmask] >Map Collection Phone: (206) 543-9392 >University of Washington Libraries >Box 352900 >Seattle, WA 98195-2900 >